Blog Post 4: Technology Leadership Role of School Librarians

The benefits of technology in education are evident and abundant.  Today’s classrooms can no longer be hands off when it comes to technology, if the goal is optimal student learning.  The options for forms of technology to use are plentiful.  Teachers and librarians alike must simply recognize these benefits and do everything in their power to jump into using as much technology as possible.

Technology can make projects and lessons in classrooms easier.  Teachers, librarians, and students can be more organized through a variety of technology outlets.  Through the Internet, all people are connected to a broad network of others.  By taping into this network, there are endless possibilities for learning and usable resources.   Additionally, “students are excited to learn, collaborate, and communicate” (Richardson, 2012, p.32).  Students enjoy working together and technology provides them with more opportunities to connect.  Technology also provides for more effective and engaging learning.  Perhaps most importantly, technology is the future for this generation of children and the ones to come.  Educators are ultimately called to prepare their students for that future.

A tremendous variety of technology currently exists that can effectively be used in education.  One such example is GoogleDocs, which allows documents to be accessed and shared by a variety of users.  Documents are also saved on a sever rather than a computer, allowing for access anywhere at anytime, and minimizing the risk of losing documents if a computer crashes.  Students would greatly benefit from putting projects in this format, and teachers could therefore access them throughout the time spent working.  Another wonderful piece of educational technology is TedEd.  This program allows teachers and educators to incorporate lessons virtually.  These lessons can be interactive and allow the creator to link a variety of resources to one place.  Not only is this more organized, but it is also more mobile and flexible.   ThingLink and Padlet are sites that allow educators to provide links either to one another or to students.  ThingLink provides the opportunity to link sites of one’s choosing to an image.  Teachers could use this to create teaching links that students could interact with.  Similarly, Padlet allows users to post anything of their choosing to a virtual wall.  This can be used for discussion or interactive links.  Another wonderful tool available to educators is the ability to design custom search engines for students. This provides the opportunity for educators to limit the sites searched by students, providing students with valuable and more limited resources, rather than everything available on the Internet.  Social bookmarking sites are a similar option, where sites can be saved for later use, in a more organized manner, that is available at all time by a variety of users.  Educators can use this to share resources with one another as well as provide important links to students. This ability to share with one another is important as it gives students a “purpose and meaning because [there is] an audience” (Richardson, 2012, p. 30). Students can also use these sites to save their own research.  These are merely just a few of the many technological choices available to educators.  When the choices are endless, excuses for not using technology must be minimized.  Incorporating technology is no longer a choice, rather, it is a requirement.

The technology standards for educators and learners are set forth by the ISTE NETS (National Educational Technology Standards) and the AASL (American Association of School Librarians).  ISTE standards call educators to facilitate learning and creativity, provide digital learning experiences and assessments, model digital age work and learning, promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, and engage in professional growth and leadership (ISTE, 2008).  Equally important, there are standards for the 21^st century learner.  As set forth by the NETS, students are called to demonstrate creativity and innovation, to use digital sources for communication and collaboration, become proficient in digital research and information fluency, to use technology in critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making, to understand digital citizenship, and demonstrate an understands of how to use a variety of technology systems (ISTE, 2008).  Clearly the learning bar has been set high for teachers and for students in the area of technology.  This is due to the fact that technology has been shown to be one of the most effective tools available for optimal learning, which should be the ultimate goal for educators.

Research continues to show the impact technology has on learning.  By using technology, teachers can become more “creative manager[s] of the learning experience instead of a mere dispenser of information” (Smaldino, 2014, p.10).  Students can learn from their work with technology as well as from their teacher.  As students continue to use technology, the can use it to “explore, inquire, and advance their personal learning, as well as contribute to the knowledge of others” (Smaldino, 2014, p. 11).  This is an interactive learning experience that was not available to students in past generations.  Additionally, when technology is used in the classroom, it “can enrich the learning experiences of students” (Hicks, 2011, p.188).  Enriched learning leads to more engaged learning.  “Therefore, teachers [and librarians] must strive to embrace technology and the benefits that it has to offer so that they can meet the needs of digital native learners” (Hicks, 2011, p.188).  Today’s students are also using forms of technology in their everyday life.  They are familiar with interacting with one another through social media, gaming, etc.  As they grow more comfortable with and connected to these things, they will expect to see it in the classroom as well.  Research has shown that “the environmental influence provided by technology has prompted the brain to be more receptive to technology-based delivery methods of information” (Hicks, 2011, p.189). By integrating technology into the classroom, teachers are “providing rich learning experiences in which students can relate” (Hicks, 2011, p. 189).  Students are making connections between their lives outside of school to what they are doing in the classroom.  Through that connection, learning is increased.  Additionally, in the ever-increasing world of state testing, use of technology in teaching can provide “statewide increase in standardized testing scores” (Hicks, 2011, p.190).  Of course this is dependent on proper use of technology, but at the same time it cannot be overlooked.  Clearly technology is impacting learning and must be implemented throughout the school.

The library should be leading the technology movement.  “Library and information professionals are often at the center of [technology] developments” (Roberts & Weaver, 2006, p. 95).  By guiding the path, librarians can hopefully demonstrate the benefits of technology use for teachers.  They can also collaborate with teachers to enhance the learning that goes on in the classroom. Without being bound by a set curriculum, librarians have the opportunity to use technology in numerous ways that classroom teachers might not be able to.  Librarians should be innovative and up to date on current technology trends.  This requires them to seek professional development opportunities in order to provide students with the latest and best practices.  Students can use their library time to further advance their understanding of technology.

Clearly, technology is not only changing the world, but also the classroom and the way students learn.  It is essential for teachers and librarians to take part in this change.  As technology use is more embedded in education, learning will increase, and the future will look brighter for children.

References:

Hicks, S. D. (2011). Technology in today's classroom: Are you a tech-savvy teacher?

Clearing House, 84(5), 188-191. doi:10.1080/00098655.2011.557406

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). ISTE Standards. Students.

     Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-students

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). ISTE Standards. Teachers.

     Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf 

Richardson, C. (2012). Global collaboration for elementary students. Learning & Leading

with Technology, 40(1), 30-32. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=79890661&scope=site

Roberts, S., & Weaver, M. (2006). Spaces for learners and learning: Evaluating the

impact of technology-rich learning spaces. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 12(2), 95-107. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=32132360&scope=site

Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., Mims, C., & Russell, J. D. (2015). Instructional

technology and media for learning (11th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Blog Post 3: Technology Implementation Strategies

The use of technology in school libraries and classrooms continues to increase yearly.  As companies continue to create products that are geared towards learning and school-aged children, school districts, schools, and educators are more readily able to use technology to increase learning.

The article “Integrating Technology and Gaming Lessons in School a Library” encourages the use of technology in the library setting.  Librarians are no longer simply people who read stories to a group of students, or assist in checking out a book to a patron.  Now librarians are “information specialists who keep up with the constant changes in information and technology” (Mashriqi, 2011, p. 25).  In order to ensure best practice in the library, it is necessary to constantly incorporate new technology into lessons and allow students to learn how to use different forms of this technology.  After all, technology offers “a unique way for students to learn” (Mashriqi, 2011, p. 26).

When wanting to learn how to increase technology in the library setting, it is important to understand “that it takes time to build a 21^st century library”.  Technology rich libraries are not built overnight.  Those blessed to live in districts that provide a variety of resources will be able to explore new technology more easily.  Others may have to take the route Mashriqi did, and apply for grants, or ask administration for funding.  It is important to seek out this technology for your students since “using technology is like breathing”(Mashriqi, 2011, p. 26) for many of them.  Additionally, “as school librarians, it is important for us to keep students up-to-date and teach them to use technology properly” (Mashriqi, 2011, p. 26).  Building a technology collection and teaching proper use will take time and patience on the part of the librarian, but it is essential for today’s students to learn.

Librarians are at an advantage when it comes to teaching technology use and incorporating it into library lessons.  The article is quick to point out that “the school librarians’ main responsibility is to promote the love of reading and learning”, however, technology can be a “great vehicle for achieving this” (Mashriqi, 2011, p. 26).   Since librarians are not required to follow a set curriculum, as classroom teachers are, they can collaborate with the teachers to create ways to reinforce classroom ideas through technology.  Additionally, “school librarians can come up with innovative lessons that indirectly reinforce and strengthen student learning” (Mashriqi, 2011, p. 27).  Using technology is an excellent way to further classroom standards, in an engaging manner, while also teaching 21^st century skills.

The author had a variety of excellent strategies for using technology in the library, but there are a few that I could see myself implementing immediately.  The author constantly uses interactive white board game and lessons to reinforce learning.  She used this to teach library organization skills and then tested students on their knowledge using a white board game.  Once students can demonstrate understanding they are given a slip that shows mastery.  This would be a good beginning of year activity to teach students how to use the library.  Mashriqi also introduces the idea of using the whiteboard for an interactive library vocabulary game, including terms like Newbery, Caledcott, etc.  This would certainly be a more interesting way for students to learn this important library terms. 

The article also stressed the importance of hands on learning.  An excellent example of this is shown through the use of flip cameras.  If these are not available, any video device could be used.  Students created scripts based on library lessons and created a video on the topic being taught.   In the article the topic was respect, but this strategy could be applied to many lessons. This would certainly be a great, engaging technology lesson to use in the library.

Finally, Mashriqi places much emphasis on the importance of differentiated learning.  She feels this is easier to accomplish with the use of technology, since it appeals to a variety of learning styles.  Kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learners can all learn in a variety of ways when it comes to technology.  This is important to keep in mind as a school librarian, and differentiated instruction can certainly be supported in the library setting.

Whatever vehicle is used to teach technology, it essential for librarians to get on board with using it.  The future our students live in will be greatly benefited by our knowledge and use of technology in library lessons. 

Reference:

Mashriqi, K. (2011). Implementing technology and gaming lessons in a school

library. Knowledge Quest, 40(1), 24-28. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=66835817&scope=site